A few days ago I was standing in the Hermitage in front of Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Return of the Prodigal. It is a painting I have always wanted to see, ever since reading Henri Nouwen’s remarkable book about it, in a country I have always wanted to visit, having learnt to pray at my mother’s… Continue reading Baltic Reflections
Category: Travel
Reflections on our Visit to the Diocese of Qu’Appelle, Canada
Here are some reflections on what Gill and I learned in Canada, as part of my recent sabbatical. http://markireland.typepad.com/files/quappelle-report-to-parish-120815.pdf
‘Pray not for Arab or Jew’: Reflections on a Visit to Israel/Palestine – CEN article
A few days ago I was standing in Pedu’el, an Israeli settlement close to the biblical site of Shiloh, talking to a Jewish settler, who had emigrated from the USA four years before. He pointed to the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv, clearly visible on the coast, and said, 'Now you can see why we can… Continue reading ‘Pray not for Arab or Jew’: Reflections on a Visit to Israel/Palestine – CEN article
Back from the Desert!
This is me on top of a rock in the Sinai desert last week, where we had an unforgettable trek and pilgrimage. Over 5 days of solid trek king we climbed all the highest peaks in the Sinai mountains, and hardly saw another living being until the final day when we climbed Mt Sinai itself.… Continue reading Back from the Desert!
Trekking Across the Sinai
One of the wonderful things about my job is that occasionally you get an invitation that doesn't sound like work at all. I have just been invited to the spiritual leader for a 7 day trek across the Sinai desert next March. Sleeping under the stars, we shall be trekking for 6-8 hours a day… Continue reading Trekking Across the Sinai
Ways in the Wilderness: A Journey into Desert Spirituality
St. George’s College, Jerusalem, 28 February-15 March 2006 The Course This course immersed me in studying the biblical texts of the Exodus, travelling from the pyramids near Cairo into the Sinai peninsula, climbing Mt Sinai and camping in the desert, before crossing the Gulf of Aqaba to pass through the biblical lands of Edom and… Continue reading Ways in the Wilderness: A Journey into Desert Spirituality